LISMORE, Australia — The family of Simone Strobel is expressing frustration after a second coronial inquest into her death failed to include testimony from crucial witnesses 20 years after she was murdered while vacationing in northern New South Wales. Strobel’s body was discovered in Lismore, concealed beneath palm fronds, six days after she vanished on February 11, 2005. Initially, she had been staying with her boyfriend, Tobias Moran, his sister, Katrin Suckfuell, and their friend, Jens Martin at a nearby caravan park.
According to investigators, Strobel was last seen walking away from the campgrounds around midnight. CCTV footage captures her presence outside the Gollan Hotel, where she was reportedly seen shortly before her disappearance. The findings of State Coroner Teresa O’Sullivan, announced Thursday, determined that Strobel died by homicide, but did not assign blame to any individual, diverging from the conclusions of the earlier inquest led by Coroner Paul MacMahon in 2007.
Christina Strobel, Simone’s sister, articulated the family’s disappointment, stating, “We had hoped to finally learn what happened to our sister.” She emphasized that the inquest did not hear from “the most important witnesses,” which left them without the clarity they sought.
Initially, Martin provided evidence during the 2007 inquest; however, both Moran and Suckfuell did not testify at either proceeding. Despite submitting statements to police, their presence was notably absent from this latest inquiry. O’Sullivan maintained that the contemporaneous statements were sufficient to inform her findings, arguing that testimony many years later could lead to inaccuracies.
The first inquest in 2007 concluded with insufficient evidence to press charges against anyone involved in Strobel’s death, although MacMahon noted strong suspicions regarding Moran and Suckfuell. O’Sullivan acknowledged that she had considerably more evidence at her disposal, including new expert analyses and witness testimonies that had emerged over the years.
She now holds a different view on the implications surrounding Moran and Suckfuell, stating, “It is unlikely that either of them acted alone in this incident.” She highlighted that while she cannot rule out Moran’s involvement, evidence does not strongly indicate he acted without assistance.
In 2022, Moran faced charges related to Strobel’s murder, but prosecutors dropped the case a year later, refunding him costs. Meanwhile, the coroner affirmed that Strobel’s death was a homicide attributed to one or more unknown individuals, denying previous claims of asphyxiation as the cause of death.
O’Sullivan suggested that a potential sexual motive for the crime should be investigated further, a notion previously dismissed during the first inquest. She recommended that the New South Wales Unsolved Homicide Team scrutinize new DNA evidence linked to Strobel’s clothing and a hair sample found at the crime scene.
The Strobel family remains hopeful, stating that they appreciate the effort of both Australian and German authorities in investigating the case. “Our desire to find the truth about what happened to Simone is unwavering,” they affirmed. With lingering questions and no closure in sight, the search for justice continues, two decades after a tragedy that shocked a community and left a family in mourning.